Wind-wheel regulator.



No. 658,398. Patented Sept. 25, mm.

H. REUTER.

WIND WHEEL REGULATUR.

(Application fllepl May 17, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 658,398. Patented Sept. 25,1900. H. REUTER.

WIND WHEEL REGULATOR.

(Application filed May 17, 1900.]

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WIND WHEEL REGULATOR. (Application med May 17, 1900. (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3.

I'UVII flerman fieuter Atznrlwys NITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

- HERMAN REUTER, or WARSAW, ILLINOIS.

WIND-WHEEL REGULATOR.-

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 658,398, dated September 25, 1900.

Application filed May l' 7, 1900. Serial No. 17,016. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN REUTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Warsaw, in the county of Hancock and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVind-Wheels; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to wind-wheels of the vertical type, and has for its object the production of a comparatively simple and inexpensively-constructed appliance of this character possessing advantages in point of efficiency and reliability in its automatic regulation and also of ready accessibility to the wind-wheel top.

The nature of the invention will be readily comprehended, reference being had to the following detail description and to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wind-wheel embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation, partly broken away, ofthe opposite side of the wind-wheel. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of the automatic regulating mechanism, showing in full and dotted lines the positions of the vane when in and when out of the wind. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the base of the tower.

Referring to the said drawings by letter, A denotes the wind-wheel, which is mounted to rotate on a top frame 3, pivotally supported on the tower. Hinged to the rear of the top frame to flex in but one direction is the vane O. The pump-rod is operatively connected with the wind-wheel to be reciprocated by any suitable mechanism including a pitman A. At one side of the top frame is vertically mounted a drum D, and D is a disk horizontally rotatable with the drum and provided with a stop-pin d, which acts, in connection with the upper drum and disk-supporting bracket 6, to limit the range of movement of the disk and drum.

d is a chain which is attached at one end to the drum and at its other end to an arm extending out from the vane C. The rotation of the drum operates to move the vane out of the wind, this being automatically accomplished when a predetermined level of water in the tank has been reached. The mechanism for effecting the rotation of the drum consists of a pawl g, one end of which is pivotally attached to an arm g, carried by a lever g This lever is fulcrumed at its outer end on the bracket 6, its inner end being pivotally connected with the pitman A to move therewith. The other or engaging end of the pawl g is in the path of an annularseries of shoulders (1 (1 provided in the upper side of the disk D, said shoulders being formed, preferably, by holes in the disk, as shown, and in the movement of the pitman the pawl g, through the lever g and arm g, engages a shoulder d of the disk and partially rotates the latter and drum, with the result of flexing the vane. 1n the reciprocations of the pitman the pawl is caused to engage the shoulder 01 successively, such engagements taking place in the forward movements of the pawl, and in the rearward movements thereof it rides freely over the shoulders, but is depressed into their path by the action of a coiled spring g. The disk and drum, and consequently the vane, are held against return movement by a stoppawl h, pivotally attached to uprights 4., carried by the frame B, the free end of the stoppawl being held against the shoulder by a coiled springh, attached to said pawl and to the uprights. Normally the pawls g and h are elevated out of engagement with the shoulder 61 of the disk and the vane is in the wind. Such elevation of the pawls is efiected by a floatj, which is connected with the pawls by a wire or cord j and which is of sufiicient weight to overcome the action of the springs g and 2". The wire or cord j is directly connected at its upper end to a lever is, centrally fulcrumed on the uprights v1, and k k are wires which connect the other end of the lever k with the pawls g and h, respectively. The float j is arranged in the tank, and until the level of water in the tank has reached a predetermined point the weight of the float keeps the pawls in disengaged position. When the water reaches the float, the cord 7" is relieved of weight and the pawls are brought by spring action into engagement with the disk-shoulders, and through the reciprocation of the pitman the parts are actuated to move the vane out of the wind, the stop-pin (1 limiting such movement. When the water drops below the level aforesaid, the float acts as a weight to release the vane in the manner above stated.

The wind-Wheel A carries at its inner side a disk or annulus a, the periphery of which serves as a braking-surface, and Zis a brakeshoe which is brought by the flexing movement of the vane against the periphery of the disk or annulus to check the rotation of the wheel. In the drawings the shoe is shown in releasing position. The shoe is attached to a slidably-supported-stem Z, normally elevated by a coil-spring Z and a wire Z leads from the stem to one arm of a belhcrank lever Z, the other arm of the lever being connected by a chain Z with the vane opposite its pivoted side. A coil-spring I", connected with the top frame and with one of the leverarms, restores the lever to its normal positiou, and said spring is made sufficiently stout to pull the vane into the wind after the vane is released. The flexing movement of the vane is thus employed to apply the brake to the wind-wheel, with the result of rendering said wheel immovable when it is out of the wind.

The top frame is supported by a tower, preferably of the construction shown. Said tower comprises a single post M, pivoted at or near its center to a base-frame M, comprising inclined braces on and 'm, and a crossbrace m serves as a shoulder against which the lower end of the post is brought when the wind-wheel top is elevated. The post is held in upright position by an arm m which is movable to engage or to release the lower end of the post. The post is provided with a counterbalancing-weight m whereby but little power is necessary to swing the post to elevate and lower the wind-wheel top.

A wind-wheel constructed in accordance with my invention is simple in construction, inexpensive to build, and is not liable to disorder. Moreover, the construction employed possesses advantages in point of efficiency and reliability in operation.

I claim as my invention V 1. In a wind-wheel, a vane hinged to flex in one direction, a drum vertically mounted and having chain connection with the vane, a disk carried by the drum and provided on its upper side with an annular series of shoulders, a stop-pawl pivoted to the frame and engaging the shoulders in one direction, a lever pivoted to the frame and connected with the pump-rod-actuating mechanism, an arm on the lever, a pawl pivoted to the arm and adapted to engage the disk-shoulders successively to rotate the drum and flex the vane, a float, and a connection between the float and pawls, the float operating normally to disengage the pawls from the shoulders.

2. In a wind-wheel, a vane hinged to flex in one direction, a drum having chain connection with the vane, a disk carried by the drum and provided with an annular series of shoulders, a spring depressed stop pawl adapted to engage the shoulders, a reciprocatory spring-depressed pawl adapted to engage the shoulders to rotate the drum and flex the vane, a lever hinged to the frame and connected with the pum p-rod-actuatin g mechanism, an arm on the lever to which the propelling-pawl is pivoted, a rock-lever pivoted to the frame and connected at one end to the pawls, a float, and a connection between the other end of the rock-lever and float whereby movement of the latter is communicated to the pawls.

3. In a wind-wheel, a vane hinged to flex in one direction, a drum having chain connection with the vane, means controlled by a float for automatically rotating the drum to flex the vane, a bell-crank lever pivoted to the frame one arm of which has chain connection with the vane opposite its hinge, an annulus carried by the Wheel, a brake-shoe carried by a spring-elevated stem, a cord con- .necting the stem and the other arm of the lever, and a spring connected to said latter arm and the frame and operating to restore the vane to its normal position.

- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN REUTER. Witnesses:

J. G. HILDENSTEIN, J. A. Born 

